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She turned from the bookshelf, looking incredulously at Maraliza, who she now realized must have predicted all of this.
Maraliza greeted her with a grin before stepping forward to hug her. It was as though her own sister were hugging her through the folds of time. Tinsley let herself sink into the moment and enjoy the thought of having another family. Another sister.
“So?” Maraliza asked as she drew back.
Tinsley hardly knew what to say. All she could do was wipe away her tears and smile.
Chapter 38
Dante’s heart raced as he made his way out of his father’s sitting room. He couldn’t wait to find Tinsley and ask her to officially be his mate. Even though they’d made love many times, the bonding ceremony that signified they had chosen each other was something else entirely.
When he entered the hallway outside the sitting room, he turned to one of the guards.
“Did you see where Maraliza and Tinsley went?” he asked.
The guard bowed his head. “I believe they went that way, Your Highness,” he said, gesturing to the right.
Dante suddenly let out a sigh. “Of course, they did,” he muttered to himself before thanking the guard and striding down the hallway.
He knew instinctively where they’d gone, and part of him was sad that the surprise had most likely been ruined. The other part of him was happy that Maraliza was very much bringing Tinsley into the Lorrz family fold.
When he opened the library door, he found Tinsley and Maraliza gossiping in hushed tones, which immediately stopped as he entered. The two looked at him guiltily, and he couldn’t help but smile knowingly.
“Maraliza, Father wants to see you,” he said, giving his sister a look. “I’m sure he wants to hear all about your ordeal. Privately, of course.”
Maraliza gave him a sheepish grin before slipping past him and out the door. She gave him a quick squeeze on the shoulder, and he had to smile. Sometimes his family wasn’t so bad.
Left in the room with Tinsley, he felt his heart suddenly flood with love for her.
“Would you like to go for a walk in the garden?” Even though it was clear she was expecting his proposal now, he wasn’t quite ready to ask at that very moment.
“I’d love to,” Tinsley replied, a little sheepishly.
They emerged from the palace and strolled through the gardens elatedly. They had captured Tinsley’s heart when she got here, and judging by her face, she had grown to love it even more.
This time, though, she was clinging close to him, as if she was afraid she might miss his question if she got too distracted. Dante couldn’t help but find it endearing.
Even though the proposal was no longer a secret, they hadn’t acknowledged it to each other. The further they walked, the more Dante realized her answer was still unknown, too. He could guess, of course, but he couldn’t be certain until he made his intentions known.
“Tinsley,” he said as they approached the indigo pond in the center of the garden. “I’ve known since the moment we met that fate brought us together. And I intend to honor that gift every day of my life. I love you, and I want you to always know that. That’s why I’m asking you: will you be my mate?”
Dante’s heart raced, and in the moment between asking and hearing Tinsley speak, the entirety of their lives together played out in his mind’s eye, as if he could see into the future and found only happiness there.
“Yes!” Tinsley sang out, her face glowing with happiness. “Yes, of course!”
Dante’s heart felt like it might burst as he pulled her close to him and kissed her deeply. Golden light cast a warm glow over their embrace while the violet leaves of the surrounding trees danced in the breeze as if already celebrating their union.
Those selfsame trees danced two weeks later when, in that very spot, Dante waited for Tinsley to walk through the arched hands of their guests in a blend of human and Lorr customs.
Lorenzo, Tinsley’s father, was waiting at the end. When Tinsley reached him, he kissed her on the cheek before walking her to Dante.
Dante wanted to acknowledge her father, but he could barely take his eyes off Tinsley. She was stunning, dressed in an intricate red and gold dress that she said was traditional for her people.
Dante had seen the white dresses that his brother’s wives had worn at their bonding ceremonies. While they were beautiful, too, Tinsley’s dress was something else entirely. Not only that, but she wore a matching shawl, draped over her shoulders.
In her nose, she wore a large gold ring, and her hands were painted in intricate patterns. Rather than incorporating the traditional paint used in an Indian bonding ceremony, her hands were painted with the rich purple dye of the Lorr sula plant.
It was her way of blending their cultures, and the sight of it made Dante overcome with emotion. He admired her beauty and the joining of their two cultures—not just that, but two families, two lives, two planets. It was almost more than he could bear.
